Mural artists take over Lihu‘e

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

NirMana creator Seth Womble uses a drone to capture footage of the developing mural Monday afternoon on the wall of the Hardy-Street-facing Pi‘ikoi Building at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

NirManaFest artists Holly Ka‘iakapu and Shatin Grace work on an apartment building Monday afternoon while artist Kayti Lathrop comes over to check the progress from her site on the WB’s Grill building.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Arnold Meister, left, his ballot in hand, stops to watch the NirManaFest artists Melinda Morey, Caitlin Fregosi and Shianne Schorr paint a wall en route to visiting the Voter Service Center in the Pi‘ikoi Building at the Lihu“e Civic Center Tuesday.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

“Trust Your Journey” is the message being worked on by NirManaFest artists Trysen Kaneshige, left, and Nick Arnold Tuesday on the mural developing on the Hardy-Street-facing wall of the Pi‘ikoi Building of the Lihu‘e Civic Center.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

NirManaFest artist Shianne Schorr, bottom left with back to camera, checks with Caitlin Fregosi on the developing image Tuesday at the west-facing wall of the Pi‘ikoi Building at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

The face of the former Big Save Market in Lihu’e is being transformed by a team of artists, including Trysen Kaneshige, Nick Arnold, Kaplan Bunce, Lucas Murillo and David Flores Tuesday during the NirManaFest event.

LIHU‘E — NirManaFest, a Kaua‘i mural festival, took root in the darkness Sunday night, with the only spot of illumination being a work light bathing an artist sketching out the design on the Hardy-Street-facing wall of the Pi‘ikoi Building of the Lihu‘e Civic Center.

“It was my birthday,” said Kaplan Bunce, one of the 15 Kaua‘i artists participating in the project that will see five different walls along ‘Ewalu and Rice streets give birth to five different murals, with an anticipated completion date of Friday. “I always wanted to be involved in a project like this. I just didn’t want to be the one coordinating it.”

Seth Womble, the artist who, along with Trysen Kaneshige, recently completed the Hope mural on the M. Tanaka Store building for the Kaua‘i Resiliency Project, coordinates the efforts and energies of the 15 Kaua‘i artists who are working with respect for the current COVID-19 pandemic by not having any large gatherings or after-parties.

“We started on the exact one-year anniversary of painting the octopus on the Kiibo Restaurant building,” Womble said. “I’m not painting on this project, just coordinating the energies of these 15 artists.”

NirManaFest, derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “creation” or “transformation,” is meant to help bring life to Lihu‘e through highlighting the creative talent, businesses and colorful nature of Kaua‘i while providing locals and visitors something unique to look forward to, states the NirMana website that tracks the artists’ progress through the week via its social-media platforms.

“This inaugural year is most unique as a collaborative mural event where multigenerational artists will work together for the first time to help revitalize the Rice Street area,” Womble said during the call to artists in February at Kaua‘i Community College, just ahead of the serious novel coronavirus threat.

“As an annual event, the walls can be updated yearly to keep fresh and exciting. With growth, more walls, teams and communities can be added. As the event expands, it will include all types of artists, musicians, chefs, moviemakers, fashion and designers, all things creative Kaua‘i.”

Participating artists include Erin Aricayos, Bethany Coma, Kayti Lathrop, Trysen Kaneshige, Bunce, Natacha Palay, Nick Arnold, David Flores, Holly Ka‘iakapu, Shastin Grace, Shianne Schorr, Nick Fregosi, Caitlin Fregosi, Melinda Morey and Lucas Murillo.

•••

Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.

1 Comments